Misadventures in the Land of Illusions
by HunterOfTheHunters
Summary: A young boy finds himself plucked from his everyday life, waking inside of a strange forest...unknowing of what strange things await him in the Land of Fantasy.


**Author's Note: Hey there, readers! Hunter here.**

**It's been quite a while since I've put my pen down and written. Mostly due to the fact that my writing in the past while was...well, crap. Regardless, I'm back to put my skills to the test. And what better fiction to go into than Touhou? I hope to add my own spin to the whole 'OC-in-Gensokyo' idea. Let's just pray I don't end doing it very mundanely. That'd just be distasteful.**

**Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy the story, and I'll do my best to get these chapters out orderly and in sensible time.**

**Later!**

* * *

**Prologue~"Why Can't People Just Let Me Sleep?"**

Introduction time.

Seeing as I'm the one telling this story, I suppose I'll have to tell a few things about myself.

Name's Luke East. From New York, I'm around 5 feet tall; pretty average weight, I've got brown hair, blue eyes. The usual stuff you'd see. 18 years old, and in pretty good shape, if I do say so myself. I can thank an early childhood full of sports and outdoor activities for that one. Personality-wise, I'd consider myself a fairly tame individual. I can get a little heated if someone presses the right buttons with me, but otherwise, I'm not the kind to go around picking fights with people.

Anyways, what else is there for me to tell…? Ah, I remember now.

I'm apparently stuck in the middle of a forest chock-full of things that would love to have my head on silver platter with a side of my still-beating heart.

...So, yeah. World-1, East-0.

Seeing as it'd be a bit sudden for me to kick things off with me already in the frying pan, I guess I'm going to have to look back and see if maybe I can figure out how and why I ended up inside it. Yeah, yeah, I know. Some of you probably aren't all too interested in how this started.

Well, quite frankly, you're just gonna have to suck it up and listen. Sorry.

All things aside, why did I choose to go back and look? Well, quite recently, I'd started noticing some odd things happening. What would serve as a perfect example of 'odd things' occurring to me?

Well, for an example, I was sleeping more often. _**Oh the horror!**_

This wasn't a natural occurrence for me. Being in my later teen years, I was an active individual. If I wasn't sitting down and doing some random schoolwork, I was outside, doing some physical activity. If I wasn't outside doing physical activities, I was inside screwing around with something. If I wasn't sitting inside screwing around on something, I was sitting down and contemplating something.

If I wasn't doing any of those things, then I was either sick or dead.

Anyways, as you'd imagine with someone getting sick, it had a pretty big impact on how I performed in my classes.

"….Zzzz….zzzz…."

"Luke. Wake up."

"….z….zzzzz…."

"…Luke…!"

"…Zzzzng…zzz…"

"….Dude, now might be a **really** good time to wake up…!"

"…Zzzz…." And, the slumbering fool I was, was of course out cold. To add some icing onto that cake, the class I happened to have passed out in was Pre-Calculus. For me, the subject itself wasn't all that horrible. I had a fairly easy time getting through the class on my own, to be honest.

The main problem was that the teacher wasn't exactly fond of students sleeping inside of his class while he was teaching. I didn't remain an exception.

….Especially considering that this whole 'sleeping-in-every-class' problem wasn't exactly new for me. At least, when it came to this guy's class.

My slumber was interrupted by a voice that could make any grown man's hair stand on edge. It was kinda like a cross between Snape in the Harry Potter movies and Saruman from Lord of the Rings.

Ironically enough, he fit that first comparison to a T. Er, an S. However you Expecto your Patronum.

"East. Wake up."

"….Nnngh?" My right eye creaked open, finally noticing the rather tall man looking down on me.

…_Why is he staring at me…? Why does he have that look of disapproval? Why do several people around me have poorly held-back smirks on their faces?_

…_.And what's that wet feeling running down my mouth?_

…_.._

"S-Sorry, Mr. Bankhead! I'm awake now!" My head shot up from the desk, my attention now greeting the teacher's gaze.

Mr. Bankhead was a quiet sort of guy. In terms of his regular personality, I couldn't really get a grasp on him. He never spoke unless he needed to, never said hello when he passed by you. All I ever really saw him do was sit in front of the class and teach the same boring, monotone way his teachers probably taught him. So, you can see a little bit of the reason behind why I snoozed in his class a lot.

"Yes, I can see that now…" His quiet, judgmental eyes narrowed. His glasses magnified the effect, almost like he had the Lens of Truth in those things. "You've been in my class for quite some time, Mr. East. I'd thought that by now you'd know my disdain for students sleeping inside of my class."

His 'colder-than-the-dark-side-of-the-moon' tone when he addressed me during these moments didn't help my perspective on him.

"Yeah, sorry about that, sir…" I wiped my eyes, trying to wake myself up. "I'm trying my hardest to stay awake sir, really. It's just that your class is kinda borrrrrrr….."

He narrowed his eyes even further.

"…rrrrring into my head!" I started to sweat a little nervously. "It's just a lot for my mind to take in sometimes, that's all!"

He looked at me before adjusting his glasses. "I see. Well then, we will have to remedy that, in that case. A lesson at the end of the day might work to help your mind adjust." He almost mechanically pulled out the slip and handed it to me.

_...Head, desk. Desk, head. _

* * *

"Why didn't you try to wake me up earlier?!" I fussed at my friend as we headed over to our next class.

"Hey, don't get pissed at me, bro. I tried to wake you up **way** before he saw you catching z's." My good friend, Adrian, wasn't having any of my complaints. "Besides, dude, it's not my fault you've been counting sheep lately."

Forgive his manner of speaking…it's just how he is.

"Yeah, I know, but…"

"Not to mention you weren't all too clever with your words." He smirked, teasing a bit. "'Boring into my head'? That wasn't exactly the best save, man."

"Ah, shut up. Like you could've done any better in that situation."

"I probably could've." He backed off. "You gotta be more careful with your wording. Stuff like that's gonna really pay off sometime."

"I guess." Suddenly, I found my statement interrupted by a sudden sneeze. Adrian eyed me, getting a curious look on his face.

"You sick 'er somethin'?"

"Probably." I sniffled. "Might've caught a cold or something."

"What, were you staying up too late last night?" He punched my shoulder playfully.

I lost my footing, thrown off by that comment. "What? No, what're you—"

"Aha, I'm just messin' around with ya, man!"

He laughed, knowing I wasn't enjoying his sense of humor. "Ah…anyways…you know we've got exams coming up soon, right dude?"

"….Pardon?"

"Exams? Next week? All the teachers have been reviewing stuff this week so we're ready?"

…_.Exams. Next week. Reviewing stuff. This week._

_It's Friday._

…_.._

…_..FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFFFFFF_

"Aaaand I'm assuming based on that look you haven't been studying **or **paying attention in class, have you?"

_UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU U_

"I'll take that as a yes."

"…ck." And my mood continued to sink further down.

"Hey, chill." My good friend patted my back, trying to raise my spirits. "You've got this weekend to get ready. I'm sure that amount of time should be enough."

"Right…"

"…Hey, we've got AP Physics comin' up, dude. Lighten up, you know the teacher isn't gonna like you havin' you ruining the mood."

I suddenly perked up. "Right, right, right. Thanks for reminding me."

Ah, and here comes the reason why I'm even capable of getting through Pre-Calculus in the first place: AP Physics C. The Mechanics course, mind you. Despite the fact that I'm basically a near-failure in Sir Bankhead's class, for some reason, Physics has always made sense to me. It helps that the class partially requires knowledge of Calculus, so I can manage to learn my Calculus in here rather than from the carbon-copy of Professor Snape on the other side of the school.

The teacher herself wasn't all that bad, but it wasn't really her manner of teaching that got me. Don't get me wrong, she was actually very good at her profession. She knew how to get a lesson across to students just as well, and maybe even better than most teachers. But, the main thing that got me about the class was really the subject itself.

_Yes, the person who couldn't give less of a shit about Calculus or any math-related topics has a fondness for Physics. Contradicts all logic, doesn't it?_

But seriously, Physics seemed to always be the one thing I've understood or really been legitimately interested in. The way Newton's laws of motion function, Kinematics, everything. They've almost felt natural to me. Scarily so, I might add.

But, I digress.

My friend and I entered the room and sat in our desks. Nothing was out of the ordinary about the room. Students were talking, playing around on cell phones, laptops, etcetera.

As for me, I settled for wiping the sand from my eyes and trying to keep myself awake.

As surprising as it might sound, I ended up failing that task. Horribly.

"….zzzz…."

"…Mr. East? Excuse me?"

"…Zzzzzz…."

"Luke?"

"…Mmmnn?"

"Wake up."

"…." I moved my head up.

"Pardon me for awakening you from your slumber, but we're waiting for you to answer the question on the board, here." I cocked my head to the side, moving my view to that of the board.

"Oh, alright…" I looked at the board for a few seconds…

It was an equation for kinetic energy. K=1/2_mv_^2. Fairly simple stuff.

_Let's see…A 60kg ball is rolling 40 m/s…_

…_.What is this, the boulder from Raiders of the Lost Ark?_

"Luke? Your answer?" She looked at me impatiently.

"Sorry, give me a second…" _Sheesh, be patient...mental math isn't my forte, you know..._

_Anyways, where was I…_

…'_Find the kinetic energy in joules'…_

…_Plug the 60 and the 40 in…_

…

"….48,000 joule, right?" I answered, pretty much rolling that number off of a random calculation in my head.

The woman looked at me before nodding. "…Yes, that's correct." She shuffled back to the front of the classroom. I turned my head to the side, only to notice Adrian giving me a funny look.

I spoke in a low tone. "What?"

"You fell asleep again."

"…And?"

"You need me to start sneaking you coffee in the middle of class?"

"Thanks, but I think I can manage without it, Adrian." I returned my attention to the desk, letting whatever exhaustion was going through me knock me back down.

After that little scene, the rest of the class went on without a hitch.

* * *

_**Knock, knock!**_

"Mr. Bankhead?" The small knocks from my hand resounded against the wooden door. "Sir, it's me. Luke East. Here to serve that detention?"

No response.

"….Um, sir? As much as I'd like to skip a detention, I'd rather be responsible today."

Still no response.

"….Mr. Bankhead?" I started knocked loudly, raising my tone. "Sir, I know you can get absorbed in writing your lesson plans, but this is getting kinda ridiculous!"

The quiet breeze was the only thing that gave me any kind of response.

"….SIR—"

"What are you doing beating on my classroom door, boy?"

I turned to the side to see the man with the glasses himself, staring at me as though I was a thief trying to break into his room.

"O-Oh, sorry sir. I didn't notice you were there." There was something about his look that worried me.

"That's quite clear to me." The older man raised his eyebrows, his glasses sliding to the end of his nose, making him look a bit like an old man. "Do you mind telling me why you were striking at my door so intently, calling for my attention?"

"Um, you scheduled for an after-school detention, sir."

"…Did I?" He paused, and adjusted his glasses, thinking for a moment. "…I do recall doing such a thing…but I cannot remember if I set the date for today. Do you have the paper on you?"

"Uh, yeah, gimme a second…" I reached into my bag, before pulling the small slip out. "Yeah, this is it." I handed it to him. He observed the paper.

"…Hm, the time and date written states the detention was scheduled for today…" He scratched his head. "My memory must be growing worse in my old age." The older man folded the slip and put it inside of a pocket in his coat. "Sadly, I don't have the time to sit down and undergo a detention today. I've other plans. We also have exams next week, so I'm afraid I cannot schedule for a detention then." He adjusted his glasses. "So, I suppose I'll do the generous thing and let you go for now."

"Um, thank you, sir."

"I will see you next week, Mr. West. "

"That's East, sir."

"Right, my mistake." He waved politely and walked past me. My eyes followed him as he passed me by.

…_.What was that all about?_

* * *

"So, **this **would be the value of **that**…" I mumbled to myself as I crammed inside of my apartment.

Thankfully, the small, cheap, and relatively messy apartment was quiet. That gave me a ton of space and silence to focus whenever I needed to study. And right now, it would be working to my advantage...

_**Achoo!**_

…If I wasn't sneezing worse than a kid in a pepper factory.

Despite the fact that I'd been taking the cold medicine for the entire weekend, I was still feeling horrible.

In fact, I think I was getting worse.

"Damn stuff…doesn't work at all…" I sniffled. The sneezing was still there, and I definitely had the other symptoms of a cold. Still, there was something about the feeling that bothered me. It was sort of like there was something in me other than a cold, like an extra chill that would run down my body, stacking itself on top of the cold.

"I sure hope I didn't catch the flu, damnit…" I found it difficult to focus, my mind feeling uncomfortably tired.

Despite the fact that I'd only been studying for at least an hour, I was already completely expended. There couldn't be any other logical explanation for me being drained so quickly other than me having caught something.

"I might need to rest…study tomorrow…" I stood from my desk, making a slow advance towards my bed.

My body toppled onto the mattress, leaving me lying face-first on the pillows. My body felt unnaturally heavy. I found the world slowly fading to black, my eyelids growing heavier and heavier, before I finally allowed them to close. As my eyes shut, I felt my mind begin to turn off. But instead of the feeling being more like a regular nap, it felt more like a dirt nap. That feeling made me a lot less comfortable about the idea of sleeping.

I attempted to open my eyes, but found quickly found that I couldn't. Some part of my physical body wasn't responding, almost as if I was in an empty dream and couldn't wake up._And honestly, that wouldn't be the first time…_

My eyes shut completely, all that I felt around me soon became an empty darkness. Oddly, I felt awake, but also asleep. Almost as though I was in some sort of limbo. I wasn't exactly sure what kind of illness causes these types of delusions, but the very least I can say is that it was scaring me.

Suddenly, I felt a rather strong feeling interfere with what was currently going on at the moment. It didn't feel like it was trying to harm me, but felt foreign nonetheless.

The moment before my conscience slipped from me completely, I felt it pulling at me. Almost like the other presence was trying to move me. The entity tugged at me for a moment, and then paused.

It was probably giving me the stink eye because I wasn't waking up for it.

And for a few seconds, I was greeted with silence. The presence seemed like it had backed off. I took the time to ponder on what the feeling had been and what it was.

…_.What was—_

I suddenly found my thought rudely interrupted by my entire mentality getting tackled through the side of my skull.

You could sort of associate the feeling with that of a person flipping your mattress over when you're sleeping, but more on the scale of the individual doing the deed being a flipping bullet train (And no, I'm not using the term 'flipping' as a euphemism. Being serious here, folks.), and the entire bed getting flung through the air instead of just simply flipping the mattress over.

My mind went from zero to 90 miles per hour, hitting against the back of the driver's seat while it was at it. The sudden movement hit me hard enough to where I felt myself somehow passing out in the middle of a dream.

The dream went from darkness, to more darkness. Finally, after what felt like forever, my consciousness slipped into slumber.


End file.
